opening ceremonies

We got ourselves ready in the morning for our 6:00am prayer meeting. We walked to the main temple building and it had begun. We took our places at the back of the room, sitting on the benches. In front of us were some devout guests who were kneeling and chanting. In front of them were the monks leading the chanting. It was fascinating to experience the service. The continual chanting was soothing and the gongs and drums were enough to keep us awake. The service lasted about 30 minutes and then we went to the dining hall for breakfast.

Here is the room.  The monks sat cross legged at the small gold tables.  The devout guests kneeled on the red carpet and we were behind them on some benches.

Love all the lanterns.  They look really neat at night.

This was another, smaller praying area we passed on the way to breakfast.

There were serene places tucked all around the buildings.

Yes, another lantern.

Breakfast is the hardest meal here.  I have come to appreciate the vegetables - a great way to start the day, but there really isn't any of the same breakfast foods we are used to.  We have come to love the yogurts, pastries and juices we can find.

Here is Andrew looking at the offerings of the morning.  When he saw the monk who served us breakfast, he said, "Hey mom!  That is the guy from the opening ceremony!"  He was referring to our prayer meeting.  I love the way he sees things.

Lantern with moss.

There are so many beautifully trimmed trees here.

After breakfast, we cleaned ourselves up and met our friend for a walk around Mt. Koya.